An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Carrots give night vision. Organic food is more nutritious. Eat small meals throughout the day.

False, nope, false and nope.

Its time you put an end to misconceptions and myths about health and the human body. What you believe is right can be flat-out wrong. We have rounded up five most popular health opinions that are completely untrue.

4 Popular health opinions that you thought were true

#1 Organic food is pesticide free and naturally more nutritious

No, organic food is not free of pesticides. Farmers are permitted to add naturally derived chemicals in their produce – which in some cases can be a lot worse than their synthetic counterparts. But then again, the level of pesticides is very low in both organic and non-organic foods. Therefore, it is not an issue of major concerns.

If you consider eating organic food for its nutritional benefits or for weight loss goals, you do not get any advantage over non-organic food.

#2 It is okay to eat food within five seconds of dropping it on the floor

Imagine the cupcake you really wanted to eat falls on the floor. If no one is watching, you might just pick it up, dust it off and eat, right? If asked you will come up with the five-second excuse stating it’s safe.

Sorry to burst the bubble, but bacteria can contaminate that cupcake within milliseconds. Then again, if your food is moist, it will attract more bacteria. Also, there is no such thing as safe duration. The only factor safety depends on how clean the dropped surface is.

So, we would ask you to avoid it, because it’s up to you. But if it is a busy street, like near the best fitness center in Jaipur, we would want you to think twice.

#3 You can eat as much low-fat food you want

Here’s a food fact. Regular food tastes like cardboard when all the fat has been taken out of it. Therefore, food manufacturers add other things like artificial sweeteners like aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, etc. to compensate for the absence of fat.

NOTE that artificial sweeteners are NOT better for you than sugar. Rather it increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, and even premature delivery.

#4 Eat many mini meals throughout the day

You must have heard this a lot. Instead of sticking to three large meals, eat many small meals throughout the day to manage your metabolism.

But studies say, this does not make sense. Yes, eating raises the rate of metabolism, but the amount of energy used depends on the amount of food we eat and not on the count of meals. Also fasting is good for your health.

Planning on starting an exercise program? You are on the right track. This is the possibly the best choice you have ever made for your health. But hold on! If you do not have the techniques right, there’s a good chance that you may get disappointed soon.

As amateurs, most of us make a lot of mistakes while working out. We do not seem to get the technique right. Gym instructors from the best fitness center in Jaipur point out five common workout mistakes and how to fix them. Read more to find out.

5 Workout mistakes to avoid if you really want to get in shape

Never skip your warm-up session

Technically speaking, warming up preps our nervous system for exercise and prevents premature fatigue. Warming up is a basic necessity especially before doing high-intensity exercises. Engage in some light activities that will make you sweat light. It can be anything from brisk walking, arm circles to squats and shoulder shrugs.

Do not avoid strength training exercises

If you are in your middle age or beyond, now is the time to work out your muscles by engaging in strength training. As you reach your 70s, your muscle strength will start to deteriorate by 25 % of what you used to have in your mid-30s. And if you are lucky enough to approach your 90s, you will lose up 50 % of what you once had.

Apart from muscle strength and elasticity, strength training also builds your tendons, and ligaments, improve muscle tone and help get rid of stubborn fats. With stronger muscle tones, everyday activities like climbing stairs or getting out of a chair for that matter seems easy as you age.

Examples include yoga, resistance training, body-weight exercises, etc. You can increase the effectiveness by either doing high reps or low reps.

Do not isolate your muscles while training

If you have been spending a lot of your time doing crunches in the hope of getting a six pack or doing bicep curls to build your arm, at the end when you don’t see results you will only get frustrated. Because, unless you lose your belly fat, those abs will never be visible. Here’s how you can fix your routine.

Do compound exercises like squats, deadlift, pushups, and pull-ups. They consume your whole body strength, and you end up burning a lot of calories in the process. Also, if you want solid abs, watch out for what you are putting in your mouth. Abs have always been about diet. Hence, our next point!

Never neglect the power of nutrition

The key to a healthy food habit is to take it seriously. It is a myth that if you exercise right, you don’t need to watch what you are eating. No one can stress enough the power of nutrition. Food is not just crucial for weight loss but also impacts your long-term health. Invest in healthy and organic food. If cost is a factor and you are always on a tight budget, buy in bulk.

Do not overdo yoga

When you are new to yoga (find the best yoga classes in Jaipur) and just beginning to understand the physical postures, we only focus on nailing every pose. We fail to recognize the fact that when we dig deeper, that’s when the magic begins.

Yoga does not work like cardio or strength training. You shouldn’t experience pain by going overboard with it. Yoga is not a competition. Ease off when things start to twinge. The transformation will happen when you focus within.

Respecting your body is key. Workouts should be easy, effective and fun. Create a balance between activity, food, and recovery for long-term results. At the end of the day, you should just feel happy about yourself.

What is the best definition of an ideal workout? Certified personal trainers and coaches at Fit O’ Clock, the best gym in Jaipur, says the ideal exercise is the one fits your schedule perfectly fine and also that you really enjoy.

The reason behind it is simple.

If it is nearly impossible to achieve or does not fit your schedule, you will end up doing nothing. Therefore, the trick is to find workouts that you can stick to for quite a significant amount of time.

Here is a list of ideal workouts for different age groups.

The 20s

Get going and start running

The healthier your cardiovascular system is now, the healthier you will be later. It is found that people who did more cardio in their 20’s have 40 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and 50 percent lower risk of death.

Best trainers in health recommend 30 minutes of moderate cardio expanded over 5 days a week. 25 minutes of intense cardio workout 3 times a week is a good alternative too.

Take up a yoga class

For today’s 20-somethings, calm does not come easily. Students and fresh graduates find it difficult to relax. The result? Insomnia, depression, weaker immune system, and digestive trouble. Yoga is a boon in today’s scenario.

Practicing a little yoga every day can control stress, reduce cortisol levels, maintain blood pressure and regulate weight loss. For beginners, two sessions per week will do the trick.

The 30s

Interval training is the ideal way to go

As you hit the 30s, your metabolism will start taking a detour. Before even realizing, it will start to slow down. Hence interval training. The beauty of it is, your body keeps burning calories for 10 to 12 hours even after your workout sessions.

Lift weights to rebuild what you’ve lost

When you are at your 30s, you start to lose one-third of a pound of muscle every year which makes you weaker as you age. Focus on strength training, like lifting heavy weights to maintain your muscle mass. Grab those dumbbells and repeat 8 to 12 reps in a row.

The 40s

Any exercise will do. Just do it.

Get more physically active to skip the middle age conundrum. Working out keeps your cells from aging fast and also lower risk of damage. Ideal activities for you includes moderate cardio (jogging), weight training, vigorous cardio (spinning), walking, etc.

The 50s

Build your muscles with dancing and hiking

Fit O’ Clock, best fitness center in Raja Park near Adarsh & Jawahar Nagar, Jaipur help people in their 50s to keep their muscles as strong as it needs to be. Apart from dancing and hiking, aim for 30 minutes of weight training activities. Other activities that you can include are jumping, running, skipping, etc. for 45 minutes 3 times a week.

The 60s and beyond

As you hit the 60s milestone, a warning sign of cognitive decline starts doing the rounds (especially in women). Healthcare services recommend doing medium-heavy weights for 40 minutes, twice a week at this age.

Engage in light activities like walking and gardening to prevent diabetes, cardio-based diseases and even certain types of cancers. Or else find any other activity that gets you up and moving for 30 minutes a day. Pick anything at your convenience and commit to it.

Exercising at any age can never go wrong. In fact, it is important that you keep your body moving throughout your life (no matter your age!). Keep in mind that your needs change as you get older. Workout according to the tips mentioned above.

Do this struggle sound familiar? Well, we are sure it does! Most of the time, we get so involved in accommodating heavy duties in our lives, that we start neglecting our health – unintentionally.

When they ask us to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper, they are onto something… something very important.

Yes, you may always have the time to prepare yourself a heavy breakfast every morning, but you still need to feed your body. ‘Breakfast’ means breaking the fast that your body goes through after dinner till the next morning. Your cup of morning coffee won’t suffice.

5 Reasons why you should never skip your breakfast

No food equals low energy. If you start your day with low energy, you are bound to get tired fast. Your blood glucose levels haven’t been restored yet. You cannot even get your morning gym sessions (Get trained with the pros in the industry at the best gym in Jaipur) right. When you are hungry later, you will grab almost anything available.

A breakfast deprived body is like a car running on an empty tank. Your brain will function at its pace useless your body restores back its glucose levels. Breakfast can improve memory and concentration levels and also keep us happy and stress-free. You get going with your day with positive energy.

Breakfast has a huge impact on your metabolism. Have you ever got skeptical of not losing weight after staying hungry for months? Newsflash. Staying hungry won’t make you lose weight, but eating healthy will.

Quite miraculously eating regular breakfast can prevent type 2 diabetes in the long run. No, we are not kidding. Many types of research reveal that the good effects of eating a healthy breakfast every day. People who do so can decrease their risk of diabetes by almost 30%. Logic? When you do not fuel up in the morning, it may cause insulin resistance that triggers Type 2 Diabetes.

When you start your day eating healthy, you won’t be hungry for a long time and therefore, less likely to binge eat. Cholesterol levels remain under check, and you get more strength and endurance to engage in physical activities.

5 Tips to eat healthy breakfast quick

For most of us, it is difficult to find time to prepare a heavy breakfast buffet in the morning. These quick breakfast making tips will definitely trigger your taste buds every morning.

Too busy to slice your bread in the morning? Slice half of it beforehand and wrap the remaining half in plastic. Put both the halves in your freezer. Grab them every morning straight from frozen and toast them as needed.

Chop your fruits on the weekend and store them in sandwich bags in the freezer. You can also add nuts, chia seeds, protein powder, etc. Take them out in the morning and blend them with a couple of ice cubes and some liquid.

Instead of wasting your time pre-whisking eggs, simply melt butter in the pan and crack the eggs in. Mix the yolks and whites with a spatula. It cooks faster this way.

Cut fresh fruit at night and drizzle with lemon juice. This will keep them from browning. Gobble them while you are on your way to the gym (Searching for the best gym in Jaipur? Try Fit O’ Clock).

You can skip the jam if you don’t have any. Simply, mash whatever fruit you have in your refrigerator (berries, bananas, and the likes), sprinkle sugar and start spreading.

Breakfast is the best meal of the day. Skipping will end up losing a lot more than you think. Munch your way to keep your immune boosted, cholesterol level maintained, appetite controlled and bones strengthened. And yes! You lose weight too. Start your day with a big smile on your tummy.

Together they have the power to affect your quality of life! If you have no clue, it is time you read some literature.

There are thousands of fitness books available out there. While some are ok, some aren’t that good. But there are a few that are able to make ripples.

We have come up with Fit O’ Clock’s (the best gym in Jaipur) gym expert compilation of the best fitness books that are guaranteed to leave you inspired.

5 Best Fitness Books that you should read right away

1. Brian Keane’s The Fitness Mindset

Brian Keane’s The Fitness Mindset will change your entire perspective about food, exercise, and stress. The book focuses on the power of psychology how it can influence the process of weight loss. It covers common areas of fitness including diet and interval training.

Keane’s book will motivate you to overcome fear and anxiety to achieve your fitness goals. His literature is high on readability quotient, and its inspirational quality has been making it a hit among readers.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Complete Food and Nutrition is drafted for people of all ages. The book is neutral for all backgrounds and all body type. It preaches to readers about the benefit of a nutritious diet.

It explains the art of dining and the best eating practices by backing them up with the latest scientific theories. The book is considered as the nutrition bible. It will teach you how to eat better even with health issues.

3. No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness

Fitness trainers at the best gym and fitness center in Raja Park, Jaipur recommends this book as a go-getter. No Sweat takes on a different approach to fitness. The author Michelle Segar is a motivation scientist who makes his readers aware of scientific studies revolving around motivational psychology and techniques that will help them to lead a healthy lifestyle.

His book offers a four-point breakdown plan for readers to incorporate working out as part of their daily routine.

4. Live Young Forever

Considered as Godfather of modern fitness, Jack Lalanne in his book Live Young Forever jots the benefits of exercising, eating right with the right mindset. His literature speaks of motivation, developing good habits, better posture, working on your relationships, wonders of exercising and more.

5. Body by Science

Body by Science: A Research-Based Program for Strength Training, Bodybuilding, and Complete Fitness in 12 Minutes a Week is another revolutionary book written by Doug McGuff and John Little. It promises to give you better muscles through high-intensity training if you are willing to work hard.

These books written by renowned experts and professionals creates its own genre of fitness information. Most trainers (Get the best personal training sessions at Fit O’ Clock, the best gym in Jaipur) follow them because the information is gold. Sold in millions, these books have transformed many lives. So you know what to do, right?

When we ask you to stop being a couch potato and get regular physical activity, you know, it’s for your own good. Right? We want you to remain healthy.

If you are wondering where to begin or worried about getting injured, that’s what gyms with personal trainers are for.

If you are on the lookout for the best gym in Jaipur, lucky you, because with modern intervention, today most gyms around the city not just offer exercise plans but a holistic approach to fitness. Yoga, Zumba, aerobics, HIIT classes… they have it all.

To help you decide better, here is our latest compilation of the top 10 best gyms in Jaipur. Start your transformation today!

Top 10 best gym in the Pink City

Fit O’ Clock

As an innovative gym and fitness center, Fit O’ Clock provides the best fitness programs in the city. Whether it is the popular cross-fit training, Pilates, Yoga, Zumba or aerobics classes, it has a dedicated group of certified trainers for its members.

Anytime Fitness

Anytime Fitness is the ideal destination for the fitness enthusiast. The gym offers the finest equipment to help you reach your goal. Here you can lose or gain weight, tone muscles, increase flexibility, build strength or get in shape under proper guidance.

Gold’s Gym

Considered as one of the best gyms in the country, Gold’s Gym is popular for its training sessions, cardio and weight stations. It offers an excellent platform for its members to achieve their fitness goals through rigorous assessments.

Big Apple Fitness Studio

Big Apple Fitness Studio is a popular name among gym-goers in Jaipur. This Innovative Fitness Center chain focuses on helping members gain great standards in fitness through personal one-on-one training and other engaging classes.

Addiction Gym & Spa

Addiction Gym & Spa is another best fitness center in Jaipur promoting a healthy and balanced lifestyle. It has a team of expert and qualified trainers and nutritionists for its members. Everything about the gym is comfortable and relaxing.

NUYU Health Club

NUYU Health Club has a host of experienced, certified trainers that help members come up with customized fitness workout plans. It offers the city’s most advanced cardio and strength equipment to help members get in shape.

To sum up

Nowadays gyms are no longer just a place to lose weight. Rather it provides a complete package to fitness where you can choose your pick. All you need is to find the right gym in your neighborhood. All those mentioned above are the best gyms in Jaipuraccording to member reviews. Choose any! You won’t regret.

Classification of Weight Training Exercises

How are weight training exercises classified? A common way is how a specific exercise trains your body and what muscle groups are being used. Having said that, exercises are divided into two groups:

Compound Exercises

Isolation Exercises

Compound exercises require the combined effort of muscle groups and joints. For example, dips a popular compound exercise require the involvement of the chest, triceps, and shoulders. Similarly, pull-ups need back and biceps, Deadlifts need Posterior Chain, much of the lower body and upper body and so on.

Isolation exercise targets one joint and one specific muscle group at one time. Here are a few isolation exercises with the muscle it trains. Chest during flat, incline or decline flyes, shoulders during lateral raises or front raises, biceps during biceps curls, triceps during triceps extensions and hamstrings during leg curls.

Advantages of Compound Exercises

It takes care of overall muscle development and forms a better training base.

You can work out more muscles in less time.

You don’t need to spend more time in your gym and fitness center.

As multiple muscle groups are involved, you can double the weight you’re lifting.

It strengthens core muscles and helps you avoid spinal injuries.

Advantages of Isolation Exercises

It targets special muscle groups in the body.

This form of exercise is ideal for body parts that need special attention.

It helps you gain mass and drive up the volume of the training sessions.

The Verdict

Compound Exercises or Isolation Exercises?

When you are planning a workout, it is important that you first establish your goals in mind. What is it that you intend to achieve? Is it function or aesthetics? Do you want or summer body or do you wish to want instead to increase strength and performance?

You need to understand your goals because both compound and isolation exercises perform in certain ways exclusive to each other. You will need to come up with a work out routines based on your fitness goal your body. Trainers at Fit O’ Clock, the best gym in Raja Park, Jaipur takes note of every detail and help you commit to the type of exercise ideal for your body and its needs.

So, if you are looking for building muscles or toning your arms or working on any specific areas of the body for that matter, isolation exercises is what you should consider. But, if your focus is on upper body muscles, compound exercises are your way to go.

It is very easy to skip the gym when you have a guilt-free excuse in order. Some pull off the classic ‘too far away’ gig while others stick to common introspections like dirty socks, smelly or people mirror flexing for Instagram.

If you do want to work out, but physically reaching the gym feels like too much work, why not build yourself a gym where you live? No… no… We are not talking about anything fancy or expensive.

As long as you exercise, we believe the purpose is served. These 5 exercise equipment below will fit in your living room and won’t break the bank. Have a look!

Jump Rope

Most fitness instructors at the gym (Looking around for the best gym in Jaipur? Try Fit O’ Clock) vote for jump rope as the ultimate piece of workout equipment. It is inexpensive, portable and is a great cardiovascular workout. You can make it extremely easy or challenging according to your fitness goal.

Jump ropes generally cost very less and are cardio that you can practically do anywhere with a small open space. Do not expect to be able to skip for 30-minutes straight as a beginner though. After a minute of jumping take a few seconds of rest.

Stability Ball

Those large, inflated balls do not cost much. They normally range between 45 to 75 centimeters in diameter and can support an adult weight. If you do not know much about stability ball, this tool is for the abs.

Here’s how you can use the ball to maximum utility. While doing push-ups, try balancing your shin on the ball. You can make wall squats even more challenging by placing the ball between your back and the wall. Another trick is to lay on the ball as if you are lying on a bench and try to stable your weight with your feet. Then do a few dumbbell chest presses or triceps extensions.

Dumbbells

Dumbbells are a good idea to start with as they help in building up total body strength. They are staples at every gym (Fit O’ Clock – best fitness center in Raja Park, Jaipur) around the world. They are an easy fit in any resistance-training routines. Get at least three to five sets with weight ranging from 5 to 30 pounds. They do not cost much. But we’ll advise you to test out a few brands before making the big purchase.

Kettlebells

You can use it during squats, lunges, or shoulder presses. And because of all the swinging that can be done, it also makes for an excellent cardiovascular workout. Though pricing varies by weight, it won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Yoga Mat

Though not much fitness equipment, yoga mat should be on your list. Coz’ you won’t want to slide on your hardwood floor or your slippery carpet. Or do you? You can pick a good quality, non-slip yoga mat for a very less price.

While you may find guys lifting a ton of weights for a few reps in the effort to increase muscle strength, women on the other hand curls 5-pound dumbbells for around 25 reps to tone their arms.

Most gym & fitness centers make us believe that high reps lead to fat loss and low reps to strength.

But is it really true?

Let’s help you upgrade your knowledge on reps and loads today!

Basics of Strength Training – Things you need to know

Fit O’ Clock, the best health club in Jaipur focuses on repetitions (reps) and sets as the foundation of the majority of its strength training programs. Reps represent how many times (quantity in number) you complete a movement.

1 to about 6 such movements is counted as low reps.

8 to 12 such movements are counted as mid-range reps.

More than 14 such movements are counted as high range reps.

Sets, on the other hands, stand for how many times you have completed a rep scheme. So, if your trainer prescribes 3 x 5, it means he is looking for sets of 5 reps, i.e., you need to complete the exercise 15 times but taking mini breaks between each set of 5.

How heavy is ideal for your body?

Here’s something you need to know. Each rep scheme that you complete will have a different effect on your muscles. In case of low reps, you will start to wear out toward the end. In higher rep, though you may not fail, you will feel fatigued. The rule of thumb is to choose a weight that challenges your body. But it does not mean you have to exhaust yourself for that matter completely.

High Reps or Low Reps for Weight Loss

Here’s something most of us have been getting wrong! We believe that the amount of weight used during a workout or the number of reps we do helps us lose weight. But no, that’s not true. It is instead all about the intensity of the exercises we commit to. Take less rest between exercises to burn more calories and increase metabolism.

High Reps or Low Reps for muscle building

While some researches back the popular belief that reps under 15 are good for muscle building, some others believe that both light and high reps can be equally effective. And no! A heavier weight does not automatically build muscles. Your diet plays an important role, plus the intensity of the workout.

Verdict: Should you go light or go heavy?

So which is the ideal strength training program for your body? Trainers at the best gym in Jaipur – Fit O’ Clock has a tip for beginners. Start with low weight high reps or moderate weight moderate reps!

So, to go light or to go heavy is totally your call. Because at the end of the day, both build muscles and give the toned appearance.

In Jaipur, Fit O’Clock is the largest gym and fitness center. This health club offers personal trainers for individual-specific training. As the best gym in Raja Park, we approached them for insight into cardio and resistance training.

When it is about fitness and fat loss, most of us (including me) do not know what the best thing to do is? What routine should I follow at the gym near me? Is there any special diet? What about cardio? Is it helpful?

Too many unanswered questions!

Let’s pick one at a time. Today, we shall discuss the advantages of traditional cardio workout and metabolic resistance training and find out which is best for you.

Sounds interesting? Then let’s move on.

What is Cardio?

They say cardio can help you lose weight. But first, what does the term ‘cardio’ stand for in the gym & fitness industry?

Cardio is any form of workout that increases the heartbeat and makes your breath heavy. It requires the use of large muscle groups and demands increased oxygen to the muscles for a longer period (say 30-60 minutes). Exercises like Pilates, yoga, boot camps, and weight training are examples of cardio.

What is Metabolic Resistance training?

It is also known as anaerobic training. With high intensity, full body exercises, MRT will leave you out of breath, hence the term anaerobic. The concept is to fit in more exercises within a limited amount of time.

Traditional Cardio vs. Metabolic Resistance Training

Traditional cardio focus on building endurance. And since there is no high-intensity workout involved, they can be stretched for a longer period. Like cross trainer or running on the treadmill.

On the other hand, metabolic resistance training is about variation. You can work with weights on day 1, circuits on day 2, bodyweight exercises on day 3 and even mix them all up in between.

Traditional cardio is immensely time-consuming (and not to forget boring). Plus there is also a downside. With time, our body tends to get comfortable to the workout and increasing the need to work longer to get the same results.

However, so is not the case in metabolic resistance training. As our body is exposed to different levels of intensity, a significant amount of calories are burnt in lesser time and continues to do so for up to 48 hours even after a workout. Such is the beauty of MRT.

Yes, traditional cardio can also help you lose weight (but has little effect on strength and muscle building). Since endurance is the main focus of all exercises revolves around the same. Which is why traditional cardio may take comparatively more time to get in shape.

Metabolic resistance training, on the other hand, focuses on strength building and metabolism. It can quickly get you into shape.